Senate OKs Agriculture Sales to India, Pakistan

WASHINGTON —  With millions of dollars of U.S. wheat exports on the line, the Senate voted Thursday to exempt agriculture credits from sanctions imposed on India and Pakistan in response to their nuclear detonations in May.

“The sanctions are supposed to squeeze the targeted country, not the American producer,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “We should not sacrifice our farmers in an effort to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle.”

The 98-0 vote sending the bill to the House came after sponsors were forced to scale back their original proposal, which would have given President Clinton authority to suspend until next March any or all of the other economic sanctions imposed by the United States.

Several senators raised concerns about lifting the broader sanctions, saying such a move was too rushed and urged instead a comprehensive examination of the dozens of U.S. sanctions in place.

There was little opposition to restoration of the agriculture credits, which Pakistan planned to use this year to purchase up to $250 million in U.S. wheat. The situation recently became more pressing when Pakistan set a deadline of next week for the purchase of 350,000 metric tons of white wheat, most of which is grown in America’s Pacific Northwest.

U.S. farmers, already enduring low wheat prices, would be prevented from bidding on that purchase unless the bill becomes law quickly, possibly losing sales to Pakistan for years in the future. Senate GOP leaders said their counterparts in the House, which is in recess this week, have committed to bringing the bill to a final vote early next week.

Clinton issued a strong endorsement shortly after Senate passage.

“Food should not be used as a weapon, and I will resist any action that would lead to a de facto grain embargo,” the president said.